The Congress on Saturday demanded immediate dismissal of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and an FIR against him over the controversial 'brides from Kashmir' remark, with party leader Rahul Gandhi claiming his comments reflect what RSS training does to the mind of a "weak, insecure and pathetic man".
Khattar hit back at Gandhi saying "weak, insecure and pathetic" are adjectives that people use for the Congress president as he accused him of "manufacturing statements".
"Dear Rahul Gandhi ji, at least at your level, you shouldn't react on distorted news. I'm attaching the video of what I actually said, and In what context - this will give you clarity of mind," Khattar said on Twitter and also attached his complete speech to explain the context in which he was speaking.
Gandhi, in a tweet, had earlier said, "Haryana CM, Khattar's comment on Kashmiri women is despicable and shows what years of RSS training does to the mind of a weak, insecure and pathetic man. Women are not assets to be owned by men."
His reaction came after the chief minister on Friday courted a controversy with his remarks that some people of Haryana are saying that they "can now get brides from Kashmir", apparently in a reference to the scrapping of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.
Speaking at an event in Fatehabad, Khattar had said, "There can be problems if the number of girls is lesser than boys. Our (O P) Dhankarji had said that they (brides) will have to be brought from Bihar. Now some people say, Kashmir is open, they (brides) will be brought from there. But jokes apart, the question is if (sex) ratio is right, then there will be a right balance in society."
Responding to Gandhi's remarks, the chief minister in a tweet said, "Weak, insecure and pathetic are adjectives people use for the President of the Congress Party. Manufacturing statements & subsequently destroying their own party does not work in the long term."
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said Khattar's 'brides from Kashmir' remark depicts the mindset of the BJP.
"I am not against the marriage of Kashmiri girls in other states, but the manner in which Haryana CM has said is not right. Such a thing can be said by someone who does not have a daughter. A leader to say like this means the BJP has a bad mindset about girls, as they are not a commodity that you can take them away," he said.
"If the prime minister works with a good mind, he should dismiss the chief minister immediately. BJP leaders keep giving controversial statements but if a chief minister gives such a statement, he should not be in the chair even for a moment. He should be removed immediately," Azad told reporters.
Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev also rebuked Khattar for his comments and said an FIR should be registered against him.
"An FIR should be filed against him for making such a remark on a sensitive issue like this and the NCW should initiate action against him," she said.
"Khattar should step down. The statement depicts that he is mentally sick. It is complete debauchery. A chief minister has made derogatory statements about the women of Kashmir," Dev said, adding that the entire world is watching the developments in Kashmir.
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